


By the Time I Blink

by GeometryOfTime



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (brief) - Freeform, (just cuz), Baking, Bottom Diego Hargreeves, Choking, Incest, M/M, M/M/M, Multi, Praise Kink, Rope Bondage, Sub Diego Hargreeves, They're not related in this, Threesome, however-
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:55:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26996263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeometryOfTime/pseuds/GeometryOfTime
Summary: “I can hold my breath pretty much indefinitely.”“Don’t your cells need oxygen or something?”“Isn’t your husband a ghost?”Well.“Fair enough, I guess. Though you have to admit, it sounds pretty, um, unrealistic.”“Ghost spouse.”Klaus meets the Hot New Neighbor; they have some ~fun.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves/Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 3
Kudos: 69





	By the Time I Blink

**Author's Note:**

> [Ben is casually a ghost in this, okay? NBD]

There are few phrases in the English language that are more of a set-up for failure than “how hard can it be.” Klaus should know that, since one of the many things he excels at is failure, and yet he still says it. 

About baking.

Ben’s distraught.

Klaus doesn’t care; he’s a creature of instinct so to him, ideas are as good as plans. Except this one falls flat, just as Ben said it would.

Because it turns out, baking can be really,  _ really _ hard. Even when it was just a ‘simple’ four-ingredient muffin, even if they, by some miracle, happen to have all of the four ingredients. Which they did. What they didn’t have, however, and they realized only after they were done making the batter, was a muffin tray.

“What the fuck, man. Who just has muffin trays just laying around?”   
  
“People who bake muffins.” Ben stares at the bowl of unsettling brown that lays in a flurry of flour on the countertop. “Or just people who, you know. Bake. Or use their kitchen for other activities than fucking.”

Klaus just rolls his eyes, before unleashing his best puppy dog eyes at Ben.

“No, Klaus. _ No.  _ Don’t look at me like that, I’m not doing it. I am not going out to go buy a muffin tray at this time a night!”

“Fine. I’ll just eat this as is then.”

“There’s raw flour in there.”   
  
“Yeah, and?”

“And salmonella.”

After a beat, Klaus is still looking at him.

“Or E.coli, I don’t know. What I do know is that raw flour can make you sick. Raw flour in a batter that  _ you _ made, is almost guaranteed to make you sick.”

“Oh fuck you.”

“Are you offering?”

Klaus scoffs, uncharacteristically opposed to an offer to get laid, because-- those fucking muffins. He’s going to make those muffins even if it’s the last thing he does.

“How about we ask  _ him _ if he can lend us a muffin tray?” Klaus doesn’t need to specify who he’s talking about because it’s all he talked about for the entire afternoon, the hot new neighbor that just moved in next door. 

“You’re just looking for excuses to talk to the guy, admit it.”

“I am not denying it for a second, babe, but this is genuine. We do need one of those fucking trays, because I managed to hype myself up and now I  _ really _ want muffins. And isn’t this what community’s all about? Helping one’s neighbor and all that.”

“Klaus. Love. Babe. Apple of my eye. Does Diego strike you like the kind of guy who bakes?”

“I mean, he does have a lot of knives on him.”

“Those are definitely not cooking knives.”

“Whatever. I still think we should go and ask.”

“I am not going to our neighbor - with which, may I remind you, we’ve never exchanged more than elevator pleasantries - to ask if he has baking accessories.”

“Why not?”

“I’m just not.”   
  
“Well, you know what? I am.”

And so he does, washing his hands, taking a deep breath to center himself, then going next door and knocking. 

“Hiiiii” Klaus drags out when the door opens, letting his eyes wander over the well-defined pecs that are hard to hide even in what looks like tactical gear. “So I was wondering if you had a muffin tray to lend us? I was in the middle of making muffins and it turns out that our trays, well. We don’t have any.”

Diego just looks at him, the unexpected - but oddly arousing - aggression that was glinting in his eyes as he initially opened the door now melted in a look of mild confusion.

“Hi. Klaus, right?”

“Yes! Klaus from next door.”   
  
“Well, Klaus from next door, um, no, I’m fresh out of muffin trays.”

“Oh. Bummer.”

“But you already made the batter?” Much to Klau’s surprise, Diego seemed pretty invested in their culinary exploits. He nods.

“Do you have those paper liners? The ones that are wrapped around cupcakes, you know. Like little skirts.”   
  
Klaus just raises an eyebrow in a silent ‘huh’. He’d never given much thought to how those things always seem to end up there. 

“Nope. Are they a must?”

“Not really, if you have cooking spray or, like, a silicone mold. But you may be able to use them if you don’t have a tray.”

“You seem to know a lot about baking.”

“Hah, not really. I just hung around in the kitchen a lot as a kid. I was doing my homework and mom-  _ Grace _ cooked. I guess a thing or two must have rubbed off on me.”

That was a new image for Klaus, spending time in the kitchen with your family. It hadn’t been like that for Ben or for him - but that was fine, family didn’t always mean blood, they found out.

“That’s nice.” He says, a little absent-mindedly.

“Okay, so you have the batter, right? I suppose you have an oven?”

“Yeah, we do.”

“Alright. Maybe we can make cookies?”   
  
Klaus lights up at the sudden use of ‘we’.

“I have to say, Diego, I love how invested you are in this. Yeah, maybe we  _ can _ make cookies. Do you want to join us?”

“You know what? Yeah.”   
  
“Awesome sauce. Let’s go bake us some muffin cookies.”

“No guarantees though,” Diego warns. “Okay, give me a second and I’ll be right over. Is that okay?”

“Excellent.”

Klaus leaves the door to their apartment slightly ajar and meets Ben’s questioning gaze with a smile that, he hopes, inspires calm.

“Diego’s coming over in a couple of minutes.”

“Diego’s what? What did you do?”

“Why must you make it sound like a bad thing? He offered to help, he’s- what are you doing?”   
  
“Cleaning up this place, it’s disgusting!”

Klaus looks around at their nice, barely furnished, and definitely clean apartment. 

“Yeah okay, you deal with that, I’ll just- Oh hi; welcome, Diego!”

Ben has a couple of items of clothing bunched behind his back and is smiling uncomfortably before he backs up and shoves them in the nearest cupboard. 

“Hi, Diego.” Then, in a pleading, whispered voice, “Please don’t tell anyone we live like this?”

“Hi. Ben, right?” Ben nods, his panic almost palpable to Klaus, who has to focus and make sure his husband won’t simply vanish out of sheer embarrassment. “Sorry, I thought I had a bottle of wine or somewhere but I couldn’t find it so I came empty-handed.”

“It’s fine, we don't drink.”

Diego looks around at the scarcely decorated place, smiling wide and reassuring.

“Your home is lovely, thanks for having me.”

Sure Diego says that, he hasn’t seen the bedroom, where Klaus was pretty sure they still had some toys laying around and- oh no. He excuses himself and runs to the bathroom, taking the glass plug that was laying on the counter - to dry after cleaning, okay? They just happened to forget it there for a couple of days. He looks around before hiding it in the linen closet under some towels. He gives the room another look over, decides there are no other offending items lying around then flushes just to give some context to his sudden disappearance and returns to the kitchen where Ben and Diego were leaning over Klaus’ phone, reading the recipe. 

Diego’s declared experience with baking doesn’t come through that evening, and it turns out that baking is beyond the three of them, because the cookies turn out to be a complete, unedible disaster. At least the place smells nice when they give up and toss the brown discs of sadness into the trash. The takeaway of the evening - besides the  _ actual _ takeaway they had to order to alleviate Klaus’ ‘need’ for muffins - was that Diego was really, really nice to talk to. 

“So,” Ben says after he chases down the last of the Chinese food with a glass of water, “how do you want to approach it?”

“You mean operation ‘Get in Diego’s Pants’?” Klaus gets a hum and a nod in response. “I was thinking I’d ask him over for a movie night and gauge his possible interest.”

“Do you want me there?”

“It depends, do you also want to play?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed, but Diego’s your crush, this is about you. You decide.”

Klaus decides that he should do it alone, inviting Diego over for a movie night while Ben was ‘on a business trip’. Ben isn’t on a business trip, having instead phased out of this plane of reality to give Klaus all the privacy he heeds. They both agree that taking things slow, just like Klaus wanted, did not mix with bringing ghosts and ghostly business into the conversation. So a business trip it was. 

Diego comes bearing takeout, which they dig into while watching ‘Rear Window’ - Klaus’ insistent choice, especially once he heard that Diego hasn’t seen it. Diego seems to be more interested in Klaus’ passionate fawning over Grace Kelly and her wardrobe than on the movie itself, and while that might be a bit of a crime, Klaus isn’t all that bothered. Diego was clearly interested in him, though he’s restrained and respectful throughout.

When the movie ends, Klaus reaches for the remote and accidentally knocks over the mug he set by the foot of the couch. They’re both on their feet in an instant, the last few drops left on the bottom of the cup spilling on the bare floors. 

“I’ll get it,” Klaus says, rushing to fetch some paper towels. “Ben’s a stickler for cleanliness. I do my best to keep up but really, I think he secretly enjoys the recurrent mini-breakdowns he has when he literally moves furniture to clean underneath it.” Klaus remembers the first time Ben did that, and how shocked he was that it never occurred to him that it was a thing people did, moving furniture to clean under it. 

“How long have you been together?”

“Oh wow,” Klaus gets up, taking the paper to the trash as he hums in thought. “Ten years? It’s hard to pinpoint, really; we were roommates at first, the things just… grew. Married for three years this October.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.” He’s smiling like he always is when he’s talking about Ben. A decade, and thinking about him still makes him flush and feel all warm and fuzzy. Beautiful, sure, but not at all conducive to getting Diego in bed. 

Conversation subjects seem to have dried all at once, and Diego settles back against the couch, opening his legs until his knee presses against Klaus’ leg. Naturally, he looks at Diego, breath shallow as he’s trying to read his face. Diego responds to his gaze with a wide smile, and Klaus, he just goes for it. He leans forward, approaching slowly, giving Diego enough time to stop him, to move away. He doesn’t, lips parting as Klaus’ touch his own. 

Only for a minute. Just a minute. Then he jumps back, and Klaus almost curses out loud. 

"Wha-" His eyes, bright and brown, are opened wide. "I mean, Ben--"

“Shit, I’m sorry, I-- Wait.” He grabs Diego’s arm, looking at him firmly. He’s fucked things up. One second, and all is fucked. Diego gently pulls his hand back.

"I'm- I'm sorry, it's just. I'm sorry, I should go.”

“Ben’s-” He just stops. It’s suddenly hard to explain the whole deal they have going on, and Diego’s turning to leave, and he suddenly doesn’t know words anymore.

“Ben’s okay with this?” It came out as a question though it’s really not one. “Ben’s okay with this,” he repeats, as a statement. Diego stops, eyeing him with a look that can’t settle on one emotion.

“What?”

“Ben and I, we’re in an open marriage."

“I see,” Diego says, cold and sarcastic. “Nothing to do with the fact that he’s away on a business trip?” 

“What? No! I’m not an asshole.” He’s defensive before catching himself. On second thought- “Yeah okay, I  _ am _ an asshole, but never to Ben.” 

“Right. Well, I’ll be off.”

Panic. Klaus acts before he thinks - like he’s wont to do - his hands buzzing blue and suddenly Ben’s right there, in the middle of the living room, and Diego jumps the second he notices him. 

All things considered, Diego accepted too easily that Ben was a ghost. He wasn’t the first person that Klaus told, but he was definitely the first to accept it so easily, without running away and without having a serious mental breakdown.

It’s been a couple of weeks since that evening and things settled into this new ghostly-normal: they often had dinner together, had regular movie nights and Diego had long, passionate discussions with Ben about philosophy and ethics. At first, Klaus felt a strange pang of jealousy at the thought of sharing Ben’s attention, but when he saw how much it helped Ben to be able to connect with someone else, his attitude completely shifted.

Klaus got emboldened again once it was clear that Diego was okay with their arrangement, but they never went past a few heated make-out sessions, very silent-movie-like: never horizontal, always with one metaphorical foot on the ground. So Klaus was pretty eager to push things further. It was just-- they’ve had other people in their beds, several times even. That part wasn’t new. Having those people in their  _ life _ before getting horizontal, that was completely new to both Ben and Klaus.

But Ben’s not there, having left Klaus and Diego to chat over dinner. In truth, he was giving Klaus the space he needed to finally make that move, to finally push things further. 

Diego’s leaning against the sink after he’s done washing the dishes while Klaus tells him another outrageous story from their college years. He seems deep in thought, barely listening to a word that Klaus is saying. Then, out of the blue and unrelated to what they were talking up until that point, he says, in a forced casual tone-

“I can hold my breath pretty much indefinitely.” 

“Hm?” Klaus asks, and a crinkle shoots from the corner of his eye, deepening with a smile because surely, Diego can’t be serious. 

“Like-- forever?”

“Not forever, I eventually have to sleep and it sort of… resumes. I have to be conscious for it to work.”

“You’re serious.” 

He  _ seemed _ dead serious. It made no sense, because--

“Don’t your cells need oxygen or something?”

“Isn’t your husband a ghost?”

Well.

“Fair enough, I guess. Though you have to admit, it sounds pretty, um, unrealistic.”

“Ghost spouse.”

“That can’t be your only answer for this, you know. Pretend Ben’s a real boy for a little while, okay? How does it work? Did you have, I don’t know, tests, to see how this works?”

“Are you asking me if I wanted to be a science experiment? Because no, I really don’t want to end up sedated in a lab somewhere. So I don’t know precisely how this works. Nor do I care, really. It’s just-- It’s just a  _ thing. _ It doesn’t really affect me.”

Klaus should really be ashamed that his first thought was that, combined with no gag reflex, Diego’s  _ thing _ could be an actual gift. He keeps that thought to himself but is determined, however, to test that theory himself. 

“It’s pretty hot.” 

It just flies out of his mouth, giving Diego a pretty good idea of what’s going on in that head of his. The smile that blooms on his face is, at first, born out of embarrassment at his lack of filter, but soon turns bold and challenging. He smiles, and the mood shifts.

“I was thinking,” and this time he gets to control what he says so he tries to use his words well, “of how hot it would bury my cock down your throat.”

Diego takes a sharp breath, such a clear response that Klaus’ words hit their mark, and he tenses up slightly when Klaus pushes against the counter. At the end of a fluid motion, Klaus is right in Diego’s face, straightening his spine and pulling his shoulders up. He has one or two inches on Diego and makes use of them in a confident way - he doesn’t loom aggressively, but there’s something rude, something presumptuous in the way he looks down, through half-lidded lashes. 

“I have a feeling you’d be a really good boy, wouldn’t you?” Diego-- he visibly feels the words, closing his eyes but keeping still under the intense, green gaze. “I bet you’d love to let me fuck that gorgeous mouth of yours. Tell me,” He lowers his head enough that his lips brush past Diego’s ears, “should I come in your mouth or down your throat? Hm?”

Diego swallows, so Klaus laughs, the tension dissipating for just a second, before he speaks again and Diego’s breath catches in his throat. “If you’re a real good boy, you get to taste me.” Then, suddenly, firmly- “Kneel.”

Diego does.

He drops to his knees, his hands hanging heavy by his side, and Klaus realizes he’s missed it; the rush and the way it settles over him,  _ in _ him. He slips in and everything is so calm inside his mind,  _ gods, he’s missed it.  _ Diego’s right there, an unexpected gift, on his knees, looking up with hungry, expectant eyes.

Klaus hates that it’s only a step back before he’s leaning against the counter again, because Diego follows him, on his knees, and fuck if that isn’t the hottest thing he’s seen. He’s determined, placing his arms against Klaus’ thighs as he draws closer, sucking his lip in an absolutely intentional move. 

“I didn’t say you could touch,” Klaus warns gently, and the hands instantly leave his thighs, weaving behind Diego’s back without so much as a suggestion to do so. “Oh, so good already,” Klaus says, sweet and slow, and Diego’s chest fills at the praise. Fucking leather pants, Klaus groans internally at the missed opportunity to have Diego mouth him over his briefs, all hot and wet through the cotton. But leather pants and underwear don’t mix, so when he unlaces them, his cock twitches free, an instant relief from the previous tightness. 

Diego’s a good boy indeed, he doesn’t make a move to touch even though he’s right there, mouth tantalizingly close to Klaus’ cock. He’s watching, a small breath caught in his throat, the way Klaus wraps his hand around himself, giving himself a few strokes, his knuckles almost brushing Diego’s lips.

He doesn’t have to say it, Diego understands when Klaus offers him his cock and he opens his mouth, a picture of obedience that conflicts with so much of the image he usually projects, of the dangerous, fierce man that could sweep Klaus’ feet from under him and pin him to the floor. Well, fuck; that’s not helping - Klaus moans at the image, and he knows he’s greedy - so he decides to act as such. 

“You can gag,” he offers, generously, earning himself an offended look from under thick lashes. “You look so good on your knees, fuck.” Diego’s soft tongue presses and rolls under his cock when he swallows, and, cruelly, Klaus pushes further inside, Diego’s shoulders coming up as he gags just a bit. 

He decides to take mercy, pushing no further, fucking Diego’s mouth in shallow, quick thrusts that have him fighting to breathe through his nose. 

Suddenly there’s a shift in the air, and Klaus feels him - Ben. Diego doesn’t see him, Klaus isn’t sure he wants to make him corporeal for fear of breaking the spell, but eventually caves to the need to be  _ seen. _

“You’re so good, Diego - would you like Ben to see you be so good for me?”

Diego opens his eyes, and Klaus continues. “You can say no.” Because Ben’s on the other side of the counter, and though he has a pretty good idea about what’s going on, he can’t see him from where he’s stood. Diego nods as best he can, keeping his eyes open, so Klaus focuses, his hands glowing a faint blue before Ben turns corporeal. He  _ feels _ differently when he’s like that, almost like a real person, exuding the same static that Klaus senses behind him. 

“Ben, baby, Diego wants to see you.” 

Slowly, Ben walks to where they are, footsteps approaching until he settles on the side of the counter, leaning against it. There’s a sudden rush of pink in Diego’s cheeks, even though he’s not turning to look at Ben. He’s obviously performing for an audience, letting out little moans as he’s pushing further, trying to take Klaus in deeper. He wants it, and who is Klaus to deny him. Time for a little demonstration, he decides.

“I’m going to fuck your throat now. Relax,” that’s all the instruction he gives, threading his fingers through Diego’s hair. The muscles loosen around his cock, his mouth becoming slack, so Klaus pushes further, gently. He moans when Diego’s throat contracts, squeezing hard on a gag, but Klaus doesn’t relent, and Diego doesn’t push him away nor pulls back. He keeps still, allowing the cock to slide in deeper, and his throat fights it with fluttery twitches, but finally-- finally, Klaus’ cockhead slips right into his throat, and he’s so close that his vision is almost going dark at the tightness. 

Ben’s there, Klaus can feel him, can hear his heavy breath, but he can’t open his eyes as much as he’d want to see him watch them. He pulls out, and Diego-- he doesn’t take a breath, keeping still, frozen. Expectant. So he pushes back in, and even though it’s easier this time, his throat still clenches tightly around Klaus’ cock, wrenching moans from him. 

“You’re doing so well; you’re incredible,” He’s fully buried in Diego’s mouth, his lips pressed against the skin at the base of Klaus’ cock, and he pulls his head closer, into a grind that he has to fight to not break. Klaus is moaning deep, pulling out just a fraction before pushing back, and Diego’s throat rolls with a dry swallow, a serpentine sensation that makes Klaus’ balls instantly tighten. His eyes flash open at the realization of the impending orgasm, feeling the sharp, irreversible rise right before it spills in the pit of his stomach.

He remembers, hazily, what he told Diego, so he pulls out until the head of his cock rests against Diego’s tongue right as he starts shooting into the soft heat. He can feel it when Diego starts breathing again, and he’s still twitching, locking eyes as he’s coming down, chest heaving.

“Fuck, you are fantastic; you really--” He’s pulling out his oversensitive cock, still fighting for breath. Diego’s eyes are glazed over, streams of tears streaking his cheeks, cutting right through that deep flush. 

“Yeah,” Diego says, roughly, clearing his throat. 

“Diego is a treasure,” Klaus turns to Ben, a little winded when he speaks as he drops to his knees right in front of Diego. “he can hold his breath forever, and barely has any gag reflex to speak of.”

“Not forever,” Diego feels the need to correct, watching Ben as he’s approaching them, bending over to steal a kiss from Klaus. 

“That so?” He asks, and they both nod. “That’s a rather impressive gift, Diego.”

A different kind of flush colors Diego’s cheekbones, but Klaus doesn’t let him say anything else - he’s cupping Diego’s face, sweet and careful, and licking his lips to open them and slide his tongue inside. Klaus can taste himself on Diego’s tongue and chases the taste, breathless and messy, and Diego moans softly into the kiss.

Ben kneels by their side, wrapping his palm over Diego’s, against Klaus’ cheek. 

“You two are beautiful,” it’s barely a whisper, but it emboldens Klaus all the more. He tears his hands away from Diego’s face, breaking the kiss, focusing on undoing his jeans and pushing them just far enough to take his cock out. 

Diego’s cock jerks in his hands, a drop of precum shining at the top for a second before Klaus wipes it with his thumb, sucking it into his mouth. The taste is a bitter shock to his tongue, but he revels in it, closing his eyes as he lets out a quiet hum. Diego looks at him with an open mouth, eyes fixed on how his lips purse around his own finger. 

“Spit,” he offers his palm, and Diego does, in a messy glob, wiping his mouth with his free hand. Klaus can’t help the groan that comes out before asking, “more.”

And then he’s breathing against Diego’s mouth, no words, as he’s wrapping his hands around his cock, jerking him with a tight grip. Klaus leans into the hands resting on his cheek, into that shared touch, humming through the buzz of arousal that still runs through him despite the fact that he’s spent. 

It's certainly not the best place for this, they're on their knees in the kitchen, Klaus' toes digging into the cabinets, and his knees are already aching, but Diego doesn't complain. He's got one hand covered by Ben's, pressing against Klaus' cheek, the other's digging into his shoulder, trying to get some balance. He's barely there, completely lost to the soft moans escaping his lips and the twitches of his cock under Klaus' hands. They’re not kissing, not exactly; Klaus is trailing his parted lips over his jaw and down his stretched throat as Diego tips his head back.

His entire body seems to shiver slightly, and when Klaus beckons him, "open your eyes, look at me," Diego does, his pupils blown and unfocused. He opens his mouth, eyebrows furrowing, but he's not able to get out anything but breathless moans for a while. Diego’s hips twitch up, so Klaus encourages him, whispering hot against his jaw,  _ ‘come on, come on,’ _ as he’s twisting his hands with each upstroke that has Diego start to thrust into his fists. 

“Fuck,” Diego groans, finally finding strength for one word, and Klaus thinks-- in as much as he  _ can _ think, he thinks he can probably cheat. He takes one hand away from around Diego's cock, slipping lower and gently cradling his tight balls. It’s fascinating how Diego’s belly ripples and twitches at the touch, and yeah, Klaus smiles against his cheek; that was definitely a good idea. 

“There you go, such a good boy for me,” Klaus whispers, his breath equally heavy. When he slips two fingers lower, the shiver that straightens Diego’s spine is the only sign that he’s about to come, and then he’s spurting, hot and slick between their bodies, coating Klaus’ fist. He slumps forward, head buried in Klaus’ shoulder as he grunts and pulses in his hand until he finally relaxes with a sigh.

Klaus places a kiss on his temple, an intimate move that usually belonged to Ben, but feels perfect in the moment. 

“You did so well, Diego.” 

They end up in an uncomfortable cuddle against the cupboards, Diego stuck to his chest, breathing softly, all warm and hazy, and Ben watching them both with a fondness that makes Klaus’ heart ache.

There’s a furious blush coloring Diego’s cheekbones that he tries to not acknowledge, looking between Klaus and Ben with a face that honestly betrays too much. His words, however, are measured and calm. 

“So what’s the plan?”

Ben smiles, his eyes soft to Klaus’ open amusement. 

“Well, there’s no plan per se. We’ll just go with it. Any preferences, any dislikes?”

Klaus had gotten used to Ben’s straightforwardness, it was the only way he’s found to cut through all of Klaus’ bullshit. It came from a place of love, even when he was being harsh. Diego, though, was rendered silent and it was almost visible when his brain unfroze and he started to think about it.

“I,” Diego starts, stopping as soon as he opens his mouth. “I really liked the whole kitchen thing.”

“You like being dominated,” Ben clarifies.

“And being told what a good boy you are, right?” Klaus asks, and Diego goes impossibly redder.

“Don’t worry, you’re not the only one,” Klaus smiles in what he hopes is not a lewd way. “Though I’m a bit of an equal opportunity slut, myself.”

“Klaus is a switch.”

Diego clears his throat before speaking. “Me too.” 

“How do you feel about rope?”

“Um, never tried it with rope, but an ex of mine was into that. I had handcuffs for that - not the fuzzy type,” he offers, almost defensively, and Ben smiles again.

“Would you like to be tied up, Diego?”

“I never really thought--”

“Ben’s an artist with rope.”

He just shrugs, not at all humble, and - Klaus thinks - rightfully so. 

“I’d love to put you in a harness if you wanted to. I can demonstrate on Klaus.”

“Yes, please!” 

“Sure?” Diego says, looking just a fraction more at ease.

“What about pain?” It’s Klaus that asks, eyeing Diego for any reaction before he speaks.

“Again, my ex was into that, so I see the appeal but I’ve not tried it on myself.”

“Would you be open to trying?”

Diego shrugs before nodding. “Like you said, let’s just go with it.” 

Ben's an absolute master with the rope. His movements are sure and fluid, he does the double column tie with a practiced ease that Klaus would be envious of, were he not reaping the full benefits of his expertise.

He's on his knees by the bed, arms behind his back where Ben's threading the end of the rope around itself, and Diego’s sat on the edge of the mattress, watching Ben’s motions. Klaus gives him a crooked smile, and Diego’s fingers instinctively curl in the sheets.

Diego’s braced against the headboard, head hanging low between his arms, pushing back against Klaus, who’s fucking him with bite. His hips are the only thing that he’s moving, since he’s leaning his back against Ben’s chest, his head bowed backwards, resting on Ben’s shoulder. The hand around his neck is applying little pressure, but it’s enough to make him consciously fight to draw breath. 

“Touch yourself,” Ben says, and Diego instantly does, groaning when his hand touches his cock and starts pumping. Klaus shivers when Ben speaks in his ear. “Come on, baby; Diego needs to come.”

Ben’s loosens the grip on the tie above Klaus’ elbows, making him jolt forward and right into the fingers squeezing his throat. 

“There you go, baby,” Ben croons, but Klaus can’t tell who he’s talking to. His head’s starting to get cottony, then lighter and lighter. He’s not quite there, his lungs still fight to swell, hungry and desperate, and he barely registers, barely hears it through the thumping in his ears when Diego comes with a sob. He can feel the pulses milking his cock, dragging him right into his own orgasm. He stiffens and feels himself spilling out in waves that slip out little by little, just like his consciousness. 

He comes to with a greedy inhale, to Ben pressing little kisses against his shoulder. 

“So gorgeous, baby. Both of you.” His hand wraps around Diego’s hips, right as he’s pulling forward, flopping to the bed and gingerly turning to his side. He still looks hazy, eyes unfocused, fixing a spot on the opposite wall, and he’s trying to catch his breath. 

For a second, until he tries to move his hand to cup Ben’s head, Klaus forgot about the rope around his arms. It’s perfect, like every time, and he really doesn’t want to get out of it. “Kiss me?” He asks Ben, instead.

Klaus is pulled down when Ben lowers himself to his haunches, and then he’s turned and pressed right into Ben’s chest, forehead resting against his skin. It takes a bit of maneuvering, all done against Ben’s surprisingly strong arms who helps him straddle his lap. Everything smells like sex, raw and rude, but Ben- Klaus closes his eyes, inhaling the scent that is definitely Ben, the same one that he chases when he steals Ben’s pillow every other night. It’s warm and so familiar to Klaus that it’s an instant rush of memories, a wealth of love. 

"I love you,” Ben hums, brushing his lips against his collarbone. “You okay?” Klaus nods weakly against his chest but takes a minute to come back down. Ben senses when he’s relaxed enough. “I’m going to help you sit down and untie you, okay?”

It’s not as easy to work the knots loose when he’s laying down, but Ben’s become a pro at unwrapping Klaus while he’s sprawled on the bed, too fucked out to stand up or move past a few lazy rolls. They mastered taking off the most intricate of full-body harnesses on the horizontal, so a simple elbow tie wasn’t that much of a challenge. As soon as his hands are free, Klaus wraps his arms around Diego, pulling him in his arms. 

“You did so good,” he tells Diego, who turns and gives him an awkward-angle kiss. 

He’d definitely say more, do more than weakly pull Diego back into the curve of his body, but he can’t. Diego burrows back against his lap, and Ben pushes against his ass, and Klaus smiles through the heavy blanket of  _ good _ that settles over him right before he slips into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as the fic that ended up to be Planets, Revolving; this is just the bits on the cutting room floor, so some things might overlap - like the Hot New Neighbor trope and a few other bits and bobs.
> 
> In full _me_ tradition, this might end up having an additional chapter.
> 
> Title from The Oh Hellos.
> 
> Feel free to say Oh Hello [on Tumblr!](https://geometryoftime.tumblr.com/)
> 
> PS - comments are love, I live for validation <3


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